Styling separates BMW big guns

THE new generation BMW X3 SUV has often lived in the shadow of its X5 big brother, but this has arguably been due to its less attractive form rather than its many talents as an on- and off-road proposition.

This new styling for the X3, more in line with BMW's current X5 and X1 baby SUV, has certainly brought positive responses, due in part to the SUV's seating and cargo space.

All the X3 models in the range come with BMW's intelligent XDrive all-wheel drive (no two-wheel drive option is offered), with prices (before on-roads) starting at $62,200 for the entry-level 20d, rising to $71,900 for the 28i and up to $74,900 for the 30d.

Compared to its predecessor, that means a price drop of $3400 on the 28i and $2500 on the 30d, while the 20d price remains the same.